This invention relates generally to the automatic or robotic control of the movement and positioning of an object relative to the surface of a workpiece. In specific embodiments it may relate to the control of an object such as a machine tool relative to the surface of a workpiece which is to be machined or, alternatively, to the control of an object which may be a laser beam positioner for directing a laser beam to a impinge upon a particular point on the surface of a workpiece for machining or working the surface.
While the invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for determining and controlling the position and orientation of a tool head relative to a workpiece for carrying out programmed instructions for manufacturing operations, in its laser machining embodiment it more specifically relates to measuring and controlling the distance between the tool and the workpiece as the machine operates, determining the location of the focal point of the laser beam and optimally aligning the beam axis to a desired orientation relative to the surface of the workpiece and for calculating the orientation of a tool control axis normal to a complex surface of a workpiece.
The system also includes provision for recognizing the programs to be run for a sequence of operations by recognizing the tooling of the workpiece to identify the part program of operations related to the particular workpiece.